Shloka 21

Devanagari script

पृथक्त्वेन तु यज्ज्ञानं नानाभावान्‌ पृथग्विधान्‌ | वेत्ति सर्वेषु भूतेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि राजसम्‌,किंतु जो ज्ञान अर्थात्‌ जिस ज्ञानके द्वारा मनुष्य सम्पूर्ण भूतोंमें भिन्न-भिन्न प्रकारके नाना भावोंको अलग-अलग जानता है, उस ज्ञानको तू राजस जानः

Transliteration

pṛthaktvena tu yaj jñānaṃ nānābhāvān pṛthagvidhān | vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu taj jñānaṃ viddhi rājasam ||

Translation

ಆದರೆ ಯಾವ ಜ್ಞಾನದಿಂದ ಮನುಷ್ಯನು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಭೂತಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನಾವಿಧ ಭಿನ್ನ ಭಾವಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕವಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತಾನೋ, ಆ ಜ್ಞಾನವನ್ನು ರಾಜಸವೆಂದು ತಿಳಿ.

Word by Word

पृथक्त्वेनby separateness; in a separated manner

तुbut; indeed

यत्which

ज्ञानम्knowledge

नानाvarious; manifold

भावान्states; entities; conditions

पृथक्separately

विधान्of different kinds; variously constituted

वेत्तिknows

सर्वेषुin all

भूतेषुin beings

तत्that

ज्ञानम्knowledge

विद्धिknow (you); understand

राजसम्rajasic

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Knowledge dominated by rajas is characterized by seeing multiplicity as fundamentally separate—fixating on differences across beings and situations. This divided perception tends to fuel attachment, aversion, and restless judgment, unlike clearer discernment that seeks underlying unity or stable principles.

What is happening in the narrative?

Within Bhīṣma Parva’s teaching discourse, Arjuna is presented as speaking this line, classifying a type of cognition: the rājasa mode of knowledge. The verse functions as a doctrinal definition, distinguishing psychological-ethical qualities of understanding rather than describing battlefield action.